Everyone loves a great vacation where the food is plentiful and the drinks never stop. However, we also know that lifestyle can’t go on forever and when we return its time to hit the pavement, gym and kitchen full force. Time to get back on track. 1 week of missed workouts are not going to hurt you but its also not going to move you closer to your goal either. and when you do get back you can expect to be sore and even a little stiff. You might even feel guilty.

I’m going to help you 5 ways to get back on track and back into living that healthy lifestyle.

1 Do not beat yourself up. negative feelings about what you did while on vacation are self-destructive, what’s done is done. Its a type of self-bullying and you wouldn’t tolerate it from your friend or if it was your child. You had a great time and that’s what you were supposed to do. But beating yourself up is not where you need to be thinking about. Focus on some good self-talk. You deserved a vacation. you worked hard, you need a break every now and then. Just enjoy the memories and get back to work.

2 Remember your why, Why you started your health journey, Was it to feel better about yourself? To lose 10 lbs, To get your cholesterol or blood pressure under control? Focus on that. I hang a photo on my fridge so when I go to reach for something to snack on I make sure that whatever I reach for goes with my goals.

3 Prepare your kitchen Take a few minutes and get rid of the snacky things you shouldn’t be eating and plan your meals for the week. Go shopping and only buy what’s going to help you and what goes with your meals. Planning is 75% of the battle. Planning is your path to success.

4 Plan your workouts and know what you are going to do. Again planning takes the last minute thinking out of it. Nothing is worse than not knowing what you need to do. That’s the easiest way to talk yourself out of going to the gym in the first place.  If you know today should be leg day, Go do legs. If you know today is a cardio day. Go do cardio. But plan it and start TODAY! You don’t have to wait till Monday.

5 Drink water, Lots of water. You should drink at least 1/2 your weight in oz of water.

For instance, if you weight 150 lbs you should be drinking at least 75 oz of water a day, That’s almost 4.5 bottles of water a day.

Did you know When you do not drink enough water, your body receives mixed signals on hunger? Dehydration causes you to believe you need to eat when you really need liquid intake. think about what that does to your calorie intake when you don’t need them.

See sometimes all it takes is stepping in the right direction.